The Global Commons Alliance is delighted to welcome Margarita Astralaga as the new Chair of its Steering Committee. In this new role Margarita will help us further develop the Alliance strategy and our network of partnerships during this critical time to mobilize citizens, companies, cities and countries to accelerate systems change for a safe and just planet.
Margarita is joining at a pivotal time. Next month, the Earth Commission – GCA’s science component – will make public its second major study following last year’s launch of the Safe and Just Earth System Boundaries, a groundbreaking scientific framework which provides one of the most holistic measurements of Earth’s finite limits and a clear direction for the systems change needed to safeguard the global commons.
Margarita brings almost four decades of experience in environmental sustainability, climate change mitigation and adaptation, economic development and conservation, including at UNEP, the World Bank, IDB, the CITES Secretariat, the Ramsar Convention Secretariat, IUCN, the Colombian Environmental Government Agency and the International Fund for Agricultural Development, and until recently she was the vice-chair of the Board of Directors for the Climate Smart Agriculture Youth Network.
Margarita said: “I’ve dedicated my career to managing and conserving our natural resources to ensure the rights of future generations to a healthy planet that offers equal opportunities to all, women, men, youth and children all over the world.
“Overseeing and supporting the work of the Executive Director of the GCA and the Management Team to achieve the important objectives of the Alliance, jointly with the rest of the members of the Steering Committee, is an honor.
“We are in a planetary emergency, so safeguarding the global commons is extremely urgent. But it is possible to transform how humanity lives and interacts with nature. I believe the Global Commons Alliance is uniquely positioned to envision, catalyze and act collectively with science, business and wider society, to address justice, climate and nature together, in order to guarantee a safe and just future for all living beings.”
Margarita is a Colombian biologist specializing in Environmental Management from the Danish Water Institute, and has a master’s in Regional Planning and Development.
